Deuteronomy: Claiming The Inheritance Series

Claiming the Inheritance

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 1:6

Tonight we are exploring Deuteronomy. There are 34 chapters in Deuteronomy. This book will teach us the importance of remembering God and His Word. We are told many times not to forget God or His Word. A specific reference is found in Psalm 78:5-9 which is a reference to Israel’s disobedience to enter the promised land: For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; 8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God. The name Deuteronomy is from the Hebrew which means "the second law" or "a repetition of this law."

Moses Wrote It 5 times Moses claimed he wrote it. Deut.1:1 Deut. 1:5 Deut 31:9 -Deut.31:22 -Deut.31:24 - So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book..."

Deuteronomy is the Book of the Law Most Quoted in the New Testament, Being Cited Over 80 Times "Deuteronomy was written at the end of the forty years wandering in the wilderness" (Geisler, p.78). IV. The Audience "This book was written to the new generation, those under twenty years of age when they came out of Egypt" (Geisler, p.78). V. The Theme Genesis - "beginnings" Exodus - "redemption" Leviticus - "holiness" Numbers - "testing" Deuteronomy - "instruction"(David R. Shepherd, Deuteronomy, p.5)

The principle we need to learn from Deuteronomy is going forward with God. The Israelites have taken an 11 day journey from Egypt to the Promised Land and it turned it into a 40 year experience in the desert. Normally it takes only 11 days to travel from Mt. Sinai to Kadesh-barnea. Kadesh-barnea was the threshold of promise. It was the desert entry point to the promised land. It was the place from where they sent the 12 spies to spy out the land. They had been held back and detained by God Himself. But one day, God said to them, you have stayed too long in this place. It is time to move out and move forward.

So let me give you the five steps in the believer’s life to go forward with God.

I. Remember God’s Blessing (1-5)

The blessings of God are not automatically poured out upon people. God is not a robot, not a mechanical being that acts impulsively, on the spur of the moment without thought or purpose. The blessings of God are not poured out indiscriminately, at random, in a chaotic manner. God demands something of a person before He blesses that person. God’s blessings are conditional. A person has to do something in order to receive God’s blessings.

A. God leads us (1-3:29) It is important for every believer to remember history. The Bible is not a book that’s old and out of date filled with ancient history. Every part of it is real and relevant to our lives today.

The children of Israel wandered for 40 years because they refused to let God be their leader and they refused to follow Moses’ leadership. This is a lesson for every believer. If I rebel against the authority God has placed in my life then I am rebelling against god Himself.

I also need to remember the blessings God has already given me. The enemy never reminds us of the good God has done. The enemy subtly sells us the lie of

an uninterested, detached God way off somewhere. However, God is very interested and invested in the lives of His children.

B. God is with us (4:1-4:33) Israel had the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night to remind them of God’s presence and yet they still disobeyed.

If I am going to receive blessings of God on my life I must remember God is with me and on my side. Say Amen if you agree with this statement: God is here right now in this worship service. God is with us tomorrow at work, at home or at school? God is with us at the store? God is with us when we sin?

The promise of Jesus is the promise of Deuteronomy and the promise of the Holy Spirit. God is always with us. Jesus said, “I am with you always, even unto the ends of the earth.”

I like to say God’s Spirit can be quenched but God’s Spirit won’t be squelched in the life of the believer. The Holy Spirit will convict of sin and remind us that God is with us.